2 Pennsylvania Programs That Cut Prescription Costs, Older Adults Take Note

For older adults on a fixed income, the pharmacy counter can be a stressful stop.

Pennsylvania offers help with those costs, and it’s easy to miss if nobody mentions it.

These are the programs worth asking about before your next refill.

Note: This is general information, not medical or financial advice. Program rules and dollar amounts are subject to change, so confirm the current details with the Pennsylvania Department of Aging.

1. PACE

The Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly (PACE) holds your copay to no more than $6 for a generic drug, according to the program’s cardholder FAQ.

A brand-name drug carries a copay of no more than $9, and both limits cover a 30-day supply.

That’s low-cost, not free.

A significant number of cardholders pay less than those copays, in some cases $0.

The Department of Aging requires you to be 65 or older and to have lived in Pennsylvania for at least 90 days before you apply.

Your income can’t top $14,500 if you’re single or $17,700 if you’re married.

If you’re enrolled in the Department of Human Services’ Medicaid prescription benefit, you don’t qualify.

PACE works with Medicare Part D plans.

The PACE page also lists retiree or union coverage, employer plans, Medicare Advantage and veterans benefits.

For 2026, PACE will pay up to $32.71 toward your Part D premium.

That’s the regional benchmark, and it applies if your plan has a premium payment agreement with PACE.

2. PACENET

If your income runs past the PACE limit, the Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly Needs Enhancement Tier (PACENET) can still lower your prescription costs.

PACENET copays are no more than $8 for a generic drug and $15 for a brand-name drug on a 30-day supply.

PACENET costs a little more.

A single person with an income from $14,501 to $33,500 can qualify.

For a married couple, the range is $17,701 to $41,500.

The age and residency rules match PACE: You must be 65 or older and a Pennsylvania resident for at least 90 days.

PACENET’s income ranges start one dollar above the PACE limits.

Some older adults whose income sits just above the PACE limit often overlook PACENET.

If your Part D plan charges higher copays than PACE or PACENET would, the program will pay the difference, provided your pharmacy can bill more than one payer.

PACENET income limits increased by $6,000 as of February 2022.

Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help

In Pennsylvania, the Department of Human Services lists Medicare Savings Programs under the name Healthy Horizons.

Medical Assistance, the state’s Medicaid program, serves people 65 and older, people with disabilities and people who are blind.

There are three programs: Qualified Medicare Beneficiary, Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary and Qualifying Individuals Group 1.

The state’s 2025 table puts the highest single-person income limit, in the Qualifying Individuals Group 1 program, at $1,816 a month.

Enrolling in a Medicare Savings Program qualifies you for Extra Help automatically, according to Medicare.gov.

Extra Help then caps what you pay at no more than $12.65 for each drug your Medicare drug plan covers in 2026.

You also won’t owe a Part D late enrollment penalty while you get Extra Help.

States run these programs.

You apply through your state.

If you don’t qualify for a Medicare Savings Program, you can apply for Extra Help separately through Social Security.

Medicare.gov lists 2026 Extra Help income limits of $23,940 for a single person and $32,460 for a married couple.

Resources can’t top $18,090 for a single person or $36,100 for a married couple.

You can apply online or call 1-800-772-1213 to set up an appointment to apply for Part D Extra Help.

Applying for PACE and PACENET

The Department of Aging takes applications for the PACE and PACENET prescription programs by phone at 1-800-225-7223.

Have your income and insurance information available when you call.

There's also an online form on the program's cardholder site.

Paper is an option, too.

The mailing address is Post Office Box 8806, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8806, and the fax number is 1-888-656-0372.

PACE and PACENET Funding

If you're wondering who pays for the PACE and PACENET prescription programs, the Department of Aging says the Pennsylvania Lottery does.

If you qualify, you'd join the more than 250,000 older Pennsylvanians that PACE and PACENET currently serve, the department said in December 2025.

Act 1983-63 established PACE.

The program began serving Pennsylvanians 65 and older on July 1, 1984.

The Lottery says it generated a profit of more than $1.05 billion to benefit older Pennsylvanians in the 2024-25 fiscal year.

Prescription assistance is among the ways that money benefits older adults.

COLA Moratorium

The PACE and PACENET cost-of-living moratorium lets you keep your prescription benefits when a Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) raises your income.

That holds even when a COLA increase is big enough to disqualify you.

The original moratorium was set to expire December 31, 2025.

What changed?